Affordable Captoes/Wings

[Seattle Bits]

So I've started to buy clothes to transition to wearing a suit on a daily basis but find that I am lacking shoes. I have a square toe Gucci slip on that I wore for my interview and while they might do for now, I would like some captoes and wingtips.

I looked at the PLAL and BB websites but $400 is a hard pill to swallow for shoes. Don't get me wrong, they are nice looking shoes but dayum.

What are places that have affordable but stylish captoes and wingtips? Where in the pecking order are C&J shoes?

 

[onix]

Allen Edmonds is always an option.

B&S always have nice shoes at affordable price, of course if your size is not common, it can be harder.

Look out for deals, last week BB Friends and Family can get you 2 nice pairs for $220 each or so.

eBay... well, seriously

 

[leon12]

In the $150-200 range, Allen Edmonds is your friend. Endless.com is having a sale right now.

I love C&J.. a little sexier than AE, not quite as expensive as Edward Green or Lobb. They're kind of a sweet spot.

 

[JohnD356]

C&Js are a pretty good value at PLAL prices. Take a look at Alden too. They're not 'cheap', but if you're going to wearing these shoes 3x a week (which is sounds like you will be doing) you might want to get a nicer pair. With that said, if you're rotating 2 pairs of shoes, neither are going to last long.

 

[phillyesq]

Originally Posted by leon12

In the $150-200 range, Allen Edmonds is your friend. Endless.com is having a sale right now.

I love C&J.. a little sexier than AE, not quite as expensive as Edward Green or Lobb. They're kind of a sweet spot.

If you wait until they have a 20% off sale, and make your purchase through live.com, you can end up with a pair of AEs from Endless for about $120.

It took me a while (about 9 months), but I finally scored a pair of black AE Park Avenues from ebay for $130 new. If you have a bit more urgency, I'd recommend endless. If you have patience, you can score on ebay.

 

[Eustace]

I have several pairs of shoes by Grenson and Alfred Sargent that are much nicer than Allen Edmonds, and comparable to some of my C&J's. Some on here would disagree to the quality, but my Grenson captoes that I scooped for less than $150 are some of favorite shoes. See if you can get in the Thin Red Line deal for $200 shipped to your door (made by Alfred Sargent). Otherwise, you can wait and see what deals pop-up on Ebay, Bennies, RL, BB, etc.

I've only paid over $300 for two pairs of shoes (both C&J cordovan) and have 13 pairs of goodyear welted shoes (Alden, AE, AS, Grenson, C&J, RL Italy, etc.). I'd say around 8 were less than $200. Keep searching. There's a lot out there.

 

[chison]

i just scored a pair of brown monk Allen Edmonds, Thayer, for $130 from the good folks at Sierra Trading Post, they screwed up shipping a bit though, also, met with a custom guy and ordered a pair of black captoes and a pair of black loafers, both in calf, for $530.00, delivery in a month.
Also, the thin red line sale, may or may not be ending soon, looks like some good deals on AS made shoes may still be had

 

[wetnose]

Take a look at Loake's Dorchester and Savoy - both have been favorably reviewed on SF and look nice...at half the price of C&Js. Buy 1 full size down from your normal AE size.

 

[sho'nuff]

im sorry but i would never wear a pair of allen edmonds with a nice snazzy suit. even park avenue. just me.

 

[onix]

Originally Posted by sho'nuff

im sorry but i would never wear a pair of allen edmonds with a nice snazzy suit. even park avenue. just me.

AE shoes, especially Park Avenue, are quite clunky IMO, but some on last #8 are nice enough.

 

[bigbris1]

Bits, what size are you? There's a pair of PA's on sale right now in B&S.

 

[phillyesq]

Originally Posted by onix

AE shoes, especially Park Avenue, are quite clunky IMO, but some on last #8 are nice enough.

I would agree that some AE shoes are a bit clunky, especially when compared to the taste on this forum, but I would disagree that the PA is a clunky shoe. IMO, some AE, such as the Park Avenue and Strand, are great shoes.

 

[sho'nuff]

Es, for me, make an ideal captoe or wingtip that can be worn casually with jeans and streetwear.

for the streetwear/jeans guy that wants a bit of a trad kick to his wears at times.

 

[Seattle Bits]

Originally Posted by bigbris1

Bits, what size are you? There's a pair of PA's on sale right now in B&S.

Yeah...this might be the hard part....I'm a size 13.

 

[bigbris1]

Originally Posted by Seattle Bits

Yeah...this might be the hard part....I'm a size 13.
They are size 13. See Trojanman74